The NBA: My 2013 NBA All-Star Reserves

The 2013 NBA
All-Star voting has passed, and the starters have been named. In case you’ve
been living under a rock, however, here are the ten starters for the February
18, 2013 (Manila Time) extravaganza:

Legend (The NBA did away with the 2 guards,
2 forwards, and 1 center set-up):

B – Backcourt

F – Frontcourt

WEST

EAST

B – Chris
Paul (LAC)

B – Rajon
Rondo (BOS)

B – Kobe
Bryant (LAL)

B – Dwyane
Wade (MIA)

F – Kevin
Durant (OKC)

F – LeBron
James (MIA)

F – Blake
Griffin (LAC)

F –
Carmelo Anthony (NYK)

F – Dwight
Howard (LAL)

F – Kevin
Garnett (BOS)

Even with
Kevin Garnett not exactly putting up the kind of production that would land him
in the top 10 (or 20… or even 30) of the league in terms of Player Efficiency,
his spot is still understandable because the starters are determined by fan
voting. These are the guys the fans want to see, whether they “deserve” to be
there or not.

Aside from
KG, the other guys NOT in the league’s top 10 in overall player efficiency are
Blake Griffin, Rajon Rondo, and Dwyane Wade. Still, the fans don’t care about
stats as much as they do about star power, and these guys have that in spades.

I believe,
however, that it should be a different story with the reserves. I believe that,
whomever the coach is going to be, he should be mindful enough to prioritize
player production over star power. Give the All-Star slot to those who have
shown, through their on-court contributions, that they are, indeed, the best
players in the NBA.

With that in
mind, here are my picks for the 2013 NBA All-Star reserves (the NBA wants 2 backcourt
players, 3 frontcourt players, and 2 others regardless of position for the
reserves):

WEST

EAST

B –
Russell Westbrook

B – Jrue
Holiday

B – James
Harden

B – Kyrie
Irving

F – David
Lee

F – Paul
George

F – Tim
Duncan

F – Chris
Bosh

F – Al
Jefferson

F – Joakim
Noah

F –
LaMarcus Aldridge

F – Al
Horford

B – Steph
Curry

F – Tyson
Chandler

Look at the Player Rankings in terms of
Player Efficiency on HoopsStats.com to see why these guys deserve their spots.

Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):

January
16

Orlando 97, Indiana 86

Nikola
Vucevic racked up 16 points and 15 rebounds and the Orlando Magic used some
sharp-shooting from 3-point range to earn a 97-86 victory over the previously
hot Indiana Pacers at Amway Arena. Orlando made good on 12-of-21 shots from
beyond the arc against the NBA's leader in 3-point percentage defense, with
Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick each going 4-of-6 from that distance in dual
14-point, six-assist efforts. Arron Afflalo added 15 points to help the Magic
record only their second win in their last 13 outings. In contrast, Indiana --
which had won five of six and 14 of 18 coming in -- went a poor 2-of-17 on
3-point tries. Paul George led the Pacers with 20 points and 10 rebounds, with
George Hill finishing with 15 points and David West scoring 14 along with seven
rebounds in defeat.

Chicago 107, Toronto 105 (OT)

Luol Deng
hit a jumper with 3.3 seconds to play in overtime as Chicago escaped Toronto
with a 107-105 victory on Wednesday. Deng finished the game with 19 points,
seven assists and six rebounds while Carlos Boozer had a game-high 36 points
with 12 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won three of four. Alan Anderson had
27 points and five boards while Kyle Lowry gave 26 points, seven assists and
five rebounds for the Raptors, who have dropped their past three games.

Atlanta 109, Brooklyn 95

The return of
former guard Joe Johnson seemingly energized the sluggish Atlanta Hawks
offense. Two nights after scoring just 58 points in a blowout loss to Chicago,
the Hawks had six players in double-figures, led by Jeff Teague's career-best
28 points, and Atlanta ended the Brooklyn Nets' seven-game winning streak with
a 109-95 triumph on Wednesday. Teague connected on 12-of-18 shots from the
field while additionally dishing out 11 assists. Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia
also posted double-doubles, with Horford tallying 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Pachulia fell just two assists shy of a triple-double, totaling 13 points and
11 boards for the Hawks, who played without forward Josh Smith. Atlanta
suspended its leading scorer for the contest for conduct detrimental to the team,
but didn't seem to miss him as they shot 57.7 percent for the game. Johnson, a
six-time All Star with the Hawks, played his first game against his former team
since being traded to Brooklyn this past offseason. He scored 15 points, but
shot just 4-of-15 from the field. Brook Lopez finished with 22 points and nine
boards in the defeat for the Nets, who lost for just the second time under
interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo.

New Orleans 90, Boston 78

Al-Farouq
Aminu amassed 18 points and eight rebounds as the resurgent New Orleans Hornets
stopped Boston's season-high win streak with a 90-78 triumph over the Celtics
at TD Garden. Despite the absence of leading scorer Eric Gordon, held out with
the team playing on back-to-back nights after recently returning from knee
surgery, the Hornets notched their sixth win in seven games with balanced
scoring and by dominating the glass. Robin Lopez chipped in 17 points on
7-of-11 shooting, Greivis Vasquez put forth a 15-point, 11-rebound effort and
Anthony Davis accumulated 10 points and 10 boards to help New Orleans finish
with a 48-33 rebounding advantage. Boston came in having won six in a row --
its longest unbeaten run since a 14-game stretch in 2010-11 -- but made just
4-of-18 attempts from 3-point range and shot a miserable 37.5 percent (6-
of-16) from the foul line. Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 15 points, with
Paul Pierce netting 12 along with 10 rebounds.

Dallas 105, Houston 100

Dirk
Nowitzki led six Dallas players in double figures with 19 points and the Mavericks
edged the Houston Rockets, 105-100, on Wednesday at American Airlines Center.
Shawn Marion and O.J. Mayo scored 18 points apiece, Elton Brand added 11 and
Darren Collison and Jae Crowder each netted 10 for the Mavs, winners in four
straight. James Harden scored 20 point, Jeremy Lin added 19 and Chandler
Parsons donated 18 points the for the Rockets, who have dropped a season-high
five straight.

Oklahoma City 117, Denver 97

Russell
Westbrook shot 12-of-20 for a game-high 32 points, as the Oklahoma City Thunder
led wire-to-wire in a 117-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Kevin Durant and
Kevin Martin scored 20 points apiece for the Thunder, who notched their fifth
win in a row behind a defense that forced 21 Nuggets turnovers. Kosta Koufos
had 16 points and nine rebounds for Denver, which had its winning streak
snapped at six games.

San Antonio 103, Memphis 82

Tim Duncan
fueled San Antonio with 19 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and four assists
to help the Spurs cruise past the Memphis Grizzlies, 103-82, at the AT&T
Center on Wednesday. Tony Parker followed with 17 points and 11 assists in
pushing the Spurs' home winning streak to 13 games. San Antonio played without
Manu Ginobili, who is expected to miss 10-14 days after injuring his hamstring
in Sunday's win over Minnesota, but Tiago Splitter, Boris Diaw and Kawhi
Leonard stepped up in his absence. Splitter tallied 10 points and nine assists,
while Diaw and Leonard scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, in the Spurs'
19th straight divisional win at home. Rudy Gay returned for Memphis after
missing Monday's game to attend his grandmother's funeral. He led the Grizzlies
with 17 points and eight rebounds, but could not help them from their third
consecutive double-digit loss. Marc Gasol scored 12 points and Zach Randolph
and Tony Allen each finished with 11 for the Grizzlies, who have lost six in a
row during the regular season at San Antonio.

Cleveland 93, Portland 88

Kyrie Irving
sank clutch shots late and finished with a game-high 31 points, as the
Cleveland Cavaliers held on for a 93-88 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers
on Wednesday. Irving put his team ahead for good with a pullup jumper late in
the contest and sank a pair of free throws to put the game on ice, ending a
four-game road skid for the Cavs. He also added five assists and four steals.
Tristan Thompson tallied a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds and
Tyler Zeller added 11 points and nine boards in the triumph. Portland once
again suffered defeat in heartbreaking fashion after rallying from a 19-point
deficit to take the lead. Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge and J.J. Hickson all
posted double-doubles, but the Trail Blazers dropped their fourth straight
game. Batum scored a team- high 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but
committed nine of Portland's 19 turnovers. Aldridge tallied 15 points and 10
boards and Hickson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Sacramento 95, Washington 94

Tyreke
Evans' free throw with 11.9 seconds left lifted the Sacramento Kings past the Washington
Wizards, 95-94, on Wednesday night at Sleep Train Arena. With the game knotted
up at 94-94, Evans drove across the lane from the right wing and was tripped by
Nene, throwing up a wild shot to draw the foul. Evans then buried the first
free throw before bricking the second and leaving the Wizards with a chance to
win the game with just over 10 ticks remaining. After corralling the miss,
Washington called a timeout to advance the ball past midcourt. The Wizards
threw it in to Bradley Beal, who missed a jumper with 2.9 seconds left. John
Wall, however, grabbed the rebound and fired up a desperation shot that drew
iron as time expired and the Kings held on for their second consecutive win.
Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and John Salmons each scored 21 points in the win.
Cousins also had 16 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Beal led all
scorers with a career-high 26 points while setting a Wizards rookie record for
3-pointers made in a game by going 6-for-7 from beyond the arc. Kevin Seraphin
added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Nene finished with 15 points, nine boards
and six assists for the Wizards, who had a season-high three-game winning
streak snapped.

Miami 92, Golden State 75

LeBron James
had 25 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and made NBA history in the Miami
Heat's 92-75 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. With his
offensive output, James has amassed 20,007 career points, making him the
youngest player to reach that mark at 28 years, 17 days old. Kobe Bryant
previously held the record at 29 years, 122 days old. He became the 38th player
to accomplish the feat, but by doing it in his 726th regular-season game he did
not reach the milestone the fastest. Wilt Chamberlain holds that record by
doing it in just 499 games. Dwyane Wade contributed 15 points, eight rebounds
and six assists for the Heat, who have won two of their last three. Mario
Chalmers added 15 points, Chris Bosh finished with 11 and Ray Allen dropped in
10 in the victory. Jarrett Jack netted 16 points to pace Golden State, which
dropped its second straight and four of five overall. David Lee finished with
12 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.

Carmelo
Anthony scored a game-high 26 points and J.R. Smith netted 16 points, six
rebounds and four assists as the New York Knicks outlasted the Detroit Pistons,
102-87, at the O2 Arena in London. Amar'e Stoudemire contributed 17 points and
Steve Novak added 13 points on 3- of-6 shooting from 3-point range for the
Knicks, who have now won two straight games after a three-game skid last week.
Will Bynum led Detroit with 22 points - 18 of which came in the second half -
on 10-of-16 shooting from the field. Kyle Singler registered 15 points and four
assists for the Pistons, who have lost two straight.

LA Clippers 90, Minnesota 77

Jamal
Crawford scored a game-high 22 points as the Los Angeles Clippers continued to
roll without star guard Chris Paul with a 90-77 victory over the Minnesota
Timberwolves at the Target Center. Paul, who was named a starter for the
Western Conference in the upcoming All- Star Game on Thursday, missed the last
three games with a bruised knee and Los Angeles has not missed a beat, winning
all three contests. Blake Griffin added 20 points in this one, while Ronny
Turiaf and Matt Barnes contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the
bench. Luke Ridnour paced Minnesota with 21 points and Andrei Kirilenko
followed with 15 in the Timberwolves' fifth straight loss. Ricky Rubio made his
first start of the season while still recovering from a pair of torn ligaments
in his left knee and recorded four points and six assists.

Milwaukee 98, Phoenix 94

The
Milwaukee Bucks accomplished something on Thursday they hadn't since Ronald
Reagan was in the Oval Office. Monta Ellis scored a game-high 24 points and the
Bucks used a late run in the fourth quarter to beat the Suns in Phoenix, 98-94,
for the first time since Feb. 21, 1987. Larry Sanders had a career-high 19
points with 15 rebounds and recorded two big blocks during the Bucks' game-sealing
10-0 run. Brandon Jennings and Mike Dunleavy each netted 16 points in
Milwaukee's fourth win in six games. The Suns had won 24 straight as the hosts
in this series, including all 19 contests at US Airways Center, which opened in
1992. Shannon Brown paced Phoenix, which has dropped four straight at home for
the first time since March 2004, with 20 points, while Luis Scola added 16
points and eight boards in defeat.

Miami 99, LA Lakers 90

LeBron James
filled the stat sheet with 39 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to lead
the Miami Heat past the Los Angeles Lakers, 99-90, at the Staples Center.
Dwyane Wade added 27 points, five assists and four rebounds for the Heat, who
won their second straight game and three of four overall. Kobe Bryant paced Los
Angeles with 22 points on just 8-of-25 shooting against a stifling Miami
defense that forced 20 Laker turnovers. Metta World Peace followed with 16
points and Dwight Howard contributed a double-double with 13 points and 16
rebounds as Los Angeles had its brief two-game win streak snapped. Pau Gasol
returned from a five-game absence because of a concussion and recorded 12
points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench.

January
18

Chicago 100, Boston 99 (OT)

Marco
Belinelli's turnaround jumper with 3.1 seconds remaining in overtime lifted the
Chicago Bulls to a 100-99 victory over the Boston Celtics in a nail-biter at TD
Garden. Richard Hamilton scored 20 points and Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah
each posted double-doubles to help the Bulls notch their third consecutive win
and fifth straight triumph on the road, where the club improved to an Eastern
Conference-best 12-5 on the season. Boozer amassed 19 points and a season-high
20 rebounds, with Noah finishing with 14 points and 13 boards. Rajon Rondo
racked up a season-best 30 points along with seven assists in leading Boston
back from an eight-point deficit early in the fourth quarter, before fouling
out with 1:16 to go in the extra session. Kevin Garnett added 16 points and
Jared Sullinger pulled down 15 rebounds for the Celtics, losers of two straight
following a season-high six-game win streak.

Indiana 105, Houston 95

Paul George
scorched the nets with seven 3-pointers en route to a game-high 31 points, as
Indiana continued its impressive play at home with a 105-95 triumph over the
Houston Rockets. George got off to a good start, scoring 18 in the first
quarter. He went on to finish with six rebounds, five steals and three assists
as well in helping the Pacers to their 11th straight win at home. David West
also impressed, tallying with 20 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three
blocks. Roy Hibbert added 12 points, nine boards and four blocks while George
Hill chipped in with 15 points in the victory. Following a five-game winning
streak, the Rockets have been grounded. In dropping their sixth straight game,
they committed 18 turnovers and gave up over 100 points for the fifth
consecutive contest. Omer Asik notched a double-double with 22 points and 12
rebounds to go with three blocks. James Harden was held to 17 points on 5-of-19
shooting, but contributed seven assists, five rebounds and four blocks in the
defeat.

Charlotte 106, Orlando 100

Kemba Walker
poured in a game-high 25 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists to
lead the Charlotte Bobcats to a 106-100 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday
at Amway Center. Gerald Henderson added 17 points while Hakim Warrick and Ramon
Sessions finished with 15 points apiece for the Bobcats, who snapped a
five-game losing streak. Jameer Nelson had 22 points, seven assists and five
boards, Arron Afflalo scored 23 and Nikola Vucevic had 11 points and nine
rebounds for the Magic, who have dropped 12 of their last 14 contests.

Philadelphia 108, Toronto 101 (OT)

Jrue Holiday
tied the game with 1.1 seconds left in regulation and scored 12 points in
overtime, lifting the Philadelphia 76ers over the Toronto Raptors, 108-101, on
Friday. Holiday ended with 33 points, 14 assists and three steals for the
Sixers, who bounced back from a loss to the Hornets on Tuesday. Thaddeus Young
added 27 points, 14 boards and three steals. Ed Davis had 18 points, 10
rebounds and six assists for the Raptors, who have lost four in a row. Terrence
Ross and Alan Anderson each donated 18 points.

Brooklyn 94, Atlanta 89

Deron Williams
continued his amazing free throw shooting and the Brooklyn Nets got revenge for
a loss earlier this week in Atlanta with a 94-89 triumph over the Hawks.
Williams, who led the way with 24 points and seven assists, and went 7-of-7 at
the charity stripe, has made 47 straight foul shots. Brook Lopez compiled 20
points and six rebounds, and he came up with a key block in the closing minute.
Former Hawks player Joe Johnson scored 18 for the Nets, who have won seven
straight home games. Reggie Evans had 20 rebounds for Brooklyn, which also
snapped a six-game slide against the Hawks. The Nets, who lost at Atlanta,
109-95 on Wednesday, moved to 10-2 under interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo.
That's the second-best start for a coach in franchise history. The Hawks,
losers in seven of their last nine games, were led by Jeff Teague's 21 points
and 10 assists. Devin Harris scored 17 in defeat.

Memphis 85, Sacramento 69

The
scuffling Memphis Grizzlies got exactly what they needed, a home date with the
Sacramento Kings. Mike Conley led five Memphis double-digit scorers with 19
points and the Grizzlies continued their home dominance of the Kings with an
85-69 victory. Memphis has won 14 of its last 17 against Sacramento at the
FedEx Forum and avoided its longest losing streak in almost a year. The
Grizzlies last lost four in a row from Jan. 24-30. Marc Gasol tallied 18 points
and 10 rebounds, Tony Allen filled the stat sheet with 14 points, nine boards,
six assists and three blocks, Rudy Gay netted 13 points and Marreese Speights
finished with 10 points and nine boards in the triumph for Memphis. DeMarcus
Cousins had 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead Sacramento, which had an
opportunity to match a season high with its third straight win.

San Antonio 95, Golden State 88

Tony Parker
scored a game-high 25 points and Tim Duncan contributed a double-double as the
San Antonio Spurs continued their domination of the Golden State Warriors with
a 95-88 victory at AT&T Center on Friday. Parker had a pair of clutch
scores down the stretch and led the team with eight assists as well. In their
29th consecutive victory over the Warriors at home, Duncan poured in 24 points
to go with 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who notched a 14th straight victory at
home overall. Tiago Splitter added 19 points and nine boards in the win. The
Warriors haven't won in San Antonio since 1997 and have dropped 17 in a row to
the Spurs overall. Without Stephen Curry for a second consecutive game, Jarrett
Jack started in his place and finished with 20 points and 10 assists. David Lee
finished with 22 points, six rebounds and seven assists and Klay Thompson
scored 21 for the struggling Warriors, who have lost five of their last six
games.

Washington 112, Denver 108

John Wall
tallied 14 points and 12 assists in the Washington Wizards' 112-108 win over
the Denver Nuggets. Ty Lawson had a chance to tie the game in the waning
moments, but his right-handed driving layup was blocked by Wall, who left his
defender to come over and make the swat. Bradley Beal netted 23 points to lead
the Wizards, who snapped an eight-game road losing streak. Lawson finished with
29 points and six assists for Denver, which fell to 15-3 at home this season.